You Were Always There For Me
by ohtheconfession
Summary: Brennan has been through a terrible ordeal, and Booth is there to help her deal with it. One shot, slightly angsty. Reviews are greatly appreciated !


**Author's Note**** :** Hi, I'm Annie :). This is my first time publishing a Bones story, I hope it's worth it. I feel like I need to mention that English is not my first language, so I may or may not (hopefully not) have made a few mistakes in this. I hope I didn't. If you find any, feel free to point them out to me. I hope you enjoy this ! :)

**You Were Always There For Me**

Booth slipped the key into the lock and pushed her door open. She stood still next to him, so he put a hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her inside. He helped her remove her coat and led her directly to her bedroom. He stood next to her in the middle of the room, not sure what to do next. She looked tired, and he could see no emotion whatsoever on her face. Her eyes looked at nothing in particular, and she looked like she was clueless about what was going on, but didn't care to find out either. Booth made a move towards her and she flinched, almost imperceptibly, but he saw it nonetheless. He took another step and this time, she raised her eyes to him expectantly.

"You should get some sleep, Bones", he said, even though he knew full well she wouldn't be able to. "You're exhausted."

Her eyes closed and reopened a few seconds later. She didn't move.

"I can stay here if you want."

Her empty gaze fell on his face but he couldn't read it. He couldn't read her.

"Only if you want."

Her eyes dropped to the floor again.

"But I don't think you should be alone right now", he added.

She remained quiet. Booth didn't know what to do. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her into a hug until she felt better, but considering she kept wincing every time he made a move, he let go of the idea.

"How about you take a shower while I make us some dinner ? Or maybe I could go and get us some Thai food. What would you like ?" He tried to sound cheerful, but he knew she wouldn't buy it.

"Come on, Bones. You gotta do something."

She stood still.

"Fine", he declared after a few seconds. "Come on, let's get you out of these clothes and into the shower", he said, heading to the bathroom.

She followed obediently, slowly, as if any rough gesture would cause her too much pain. She stood behind him while he turned on the water.

_Right_, he thought, seeing she wasn't going to undress. He slowly slid her out of her jacket and made her step out of her shoes, removing her socks at the same time. She looked completely disoriented, and scared.

"Bones", he said, and waited for her to look at him. "I'm not gonna hurt you, alright ? You know that."

She didn't answer.

"You know it, don't you ?" he asked. When she remained silent, he continued. "I would never hurt you. Now you gotta help me out here, okay ?"

She didn't say anything but kept on looking at him, and she seemed to understand him. She let him take her shirt off, and then her pants. He didn't take her underwear, because first of all this was his partner, and more importantly he didn't want to frighten her in any way or make her uncomfortable. He gently helped her into the shower and stepped behind her.

He washed her hair first, massaging her head gently in the process. He felt the tension ease slowly out of her body as the warm water ran over her skin. He couldn't believe what he was doing, yet it seemed completely natural, and the right thing to do. Because this was not about him ; it was about helping his partner, his friend, and helping Bones was the only thing in his mind at that precise moment. His hands slid down to rub her shoulders and she seemed to relax a little under his touch. He saw her close her eyes, and opened them only when she felt his hands move from the small of her back to her belly. She could feel him right behind her, his breath on her shoulder, and she raised a hand and put it over his, linking fingers with him instantly over her belly.

"Booth …" she murmured.

"Yeah, Bones ?" he asked, relieved to finally hear the sound of her voice again.

But she didn't say anything else. She held onto his hand tightly, eyes still shut.

"You okay ?" he asked, trying her again.

When she didn't respond, he slowly removed his hand from hers and continued washing her. He did her legs, her ankles, her feet and then her arms, avoiding spending too much time on the bruises he could still see. He turned off the water and looked for a towel.

His eyes caught a few drops of water rolling down her cheeks, and he stepped closer when he noticed they were not from the shower. She turned slowly to him, avoiding his gaze. He couldn't help it anymore, so he encircled her with his arms and pulled her into a tight hug. She buried her head in his neck and started sobbing.

"Shhh" he said, running his hand gently up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her. "It's okay, baby. You're safe." he whispered in her hair.

He felt her still wet arms wrap around his waist and he pulled her closer.

"I'm here, Bones. Nothing's gonna happen anymore. It's all over."

They stood like this for a good five minutes, his arms wrapped protectively around her sobbing frame, her hear buried in the crook of his neck. He reached for the towel behind him and wrapped it around her, then lifted her up in his arms and carried her to her bed.

She sat there unmoving as he searched for her pajamas, until he gently pulled her to her feet and helped her into it.

"Do you wanna go to sleep ?" he asked, then added, "I think maybe you should eat something first."

He led her to the living room and made her sit on the couch while he made her a salad. His eyes kept glancing back to her. She was contemplating her hands, knees brought back against her chest protectively.

"There", he said, holding her a plate and putting down a glass of water. He sat next to her and started eating a sandwich he'd made for himself.

He smiled as he watched her plant her fork in the lettuce, chewing slowly at first and then quicker, as hunger got the best of her. She was finished before he was.

He chuckled when she put the plate down and drank the water in one sip only.

"Do you want more ? I can make more if you want, Bones" he told her.

She shook her head in silence, and then looked at him silently. He could swear she was smiling.

So he smiled back. She was so beautiful, even with that bruise on her cheek and her neck. She closed her eyes and yawned quietly.

"Okay, time for bed !" he said, putting his plate down. She started to reach for her plate and glass but he put her hand on hers, stopping her.

"Don't worry, I'll get that later."

When they were back in her bedroom, he pulled the covers up and she slid into her bed, lying on her good side. He pulled the covers over her again.

"I'll be in the living room, okay ? Tell me if you need anything."

She nodded her agreement without looking at him.

"Okay, well … sleep tight, okay ?"

He got up and started walking out of the room.

"Booth ?" she called, and he turned to her instantly.

"Yeah ?"

She didn't speak right away, but then said, "Will you stay with me ?"

Booth smiled. "Of course, Bones. I'll just go turn off the lights in the kitchen, I'll be right back."

He did as he said and took off his shoes in the living room, then walked back to her room. He noticed she had slightly moved to the right side of the bed, leaving enough room for him to lie down next to her. He lay down carefully, not bothering to get under the covers, and turned off the light on the table next to the bed. As the room went dark, he felt her breathing quicken, not too much, but enough for him to notice. He scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She found his hand instantly and took it in hers, pressing her back closer to his body. He planted a kiss on the back of her neck and on her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm here, okay ? Nothing's gonna happen to you", he repeated. "I promise. I'm keeping watch."

Again, he felt her relax under his touch and pulled her body as close to him as he could, even through the covers.

"Thank you, Booth", she whispered, closing her eyes.

He smiled against her hair, "You're welcome, Bones" he said as he closed his eyes too. "Go to sleep."

She made it through the night.


End file.
